ISO/IEC 29110-7-1:2026

• Abstract:

  This document provides guidelines for the implementation of the specific space profiles for VSEs through a set of development processes. This document is applicable to small suppliers, developers, managers and quality assurance managers of software products in the space domain. The document can also be applied by a single party through a self-imposed set of processes. This document does not prescribe a specific system or software life cycle model, development methodology, model or technique.

• Status: Published
• Publication Date: 20-Jul-2026
• ICS: 35.080 - Software
• Technical Committee: ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 7 - Software and systems engineering
• Drafting Committee: ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 7 - Software and systems engineering
• Current Stage: 6060 - International Standard published
• Start Date: 21-Jul-2026
• Due Date: 28-Dec-2026
• Completion Date: 21-Jul-2026

Overview

ISO/IEC 29110-7-1:2026 is an international standard developed by ISO and IEC, targeting very small entities (VSEs) in the space software engineering domain. The standard provides detailed guidelines for implementing specific space software engineering profiles through a set of practical development processes. It is designed to support small suppliers, developers, project managers, and quality assurance managers in the space industry, including organizations with up to 25 personnel. Importantly, ISO/IEC 29110-7-1 does not mandate any particular system or software life cycle model or methodology, making it adaptable to various project needs.

The document aims to address the unique challenges faced by VSEs-such as limited resources and difficulty in applying large-scale standards-by focusing on incremental process improvement and risk-based approaches appropriate for the space sector.

Key Topics

• Space Software Engineering Guidelines for VSEs

  • Clear, actionable guidance on processes for small entities in the space domain.
  • Emphasis on flexibility, allowing VSEs to select processes relevant to their specific projects.

• Intermediate and Advanced Space Profiles

  • Two tailored profiles for VSEs based on project complexity:
    • Intermediate space profile: Focuses on visibility, disciplined management, configuration management, problem resolution, verification, and quality assurance.
    • Advanced space profile: Expands to cover requirements elicitation, safety, dependability assurance, and non-testing verification activities.

• Process Implementation Principles

  • Sectioned by management, quality, configuration, verification, and problem resolution functions.
  • Clearly defined roles and work products relevant to small teams.
  • Encourages a stepwise adoption of practices for process maturity.

• Work Product and Role Descriptions

  • Comprehensive guidance on the creation, management, and tracking of deliverables.
  • Roles can be flexibly assigned, reflecting the scale and needs of VSEs.

• Alignment with VSE Capabilities

  • Processes are scaled and applicable for teams or projects with limited staffing and resources.
  • Acknowledges the importance of compliance with space industry expectations for risk management and reliability.

Applications

ISO/IEC 29110-7-1:2026 is highly relevant for the following practical applications:

• Small Suppliers in the Space Industry

  • Enables start-ups and small teams to participate in larger space projects by aligning their processes with industry-recognized standards without excessive overhead.
  • Facilitates a gradual adoption of robust engineering and management practices necessary for satellite, spacecraft, or subsystem software development.

• Project Management and Quality Assurance

  • Assists project managers and QA leads in structuring software development, managing risks, verifying deliverables, and maintaining quality throughout the project life cycle.
  • Promotes documentation and traceability, which are critical in the space sector for certification and validation.

• Self-Assessment and Continuous Improvement

  • Allows organizations to independently assess and improve their process capability.
  • Supports preparation for external audits or qualification by space agencies or industry partners.

• Adaptability Across Life Cycle Models

  • VSEs can apply guidelines to various software development life cycles (waterfall, agile, incremental, evolutionary), ensuring flexibility and relevance to different project approaches.

Related Standards

To maximize effectiveness and ensure alignment with broader industry practices, ISO/IEC 29110-7-1:2026 is designed to be used in conjunction with other ISO and IEC standards, including:

• ISO/IEC 29110 Series: Core framework for VSEs implementing systems and software engineering best practices.
  • ISO/IEC 29110-5-1-2: Basic profile guidelines for entry-level VSE process adoption.
  • ISO/IEC 29110-4, 29110-6, 29110-7: Further specifications and guidelines for VSE profiles in various domains.
• ISO/IEC/IEEE 12207: Software life cycle processes-provides foundational process elements used in profile definitions.
• ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288: System life cycle processes-covers broader systems engineering practices.
• ISO 9000: Quality management fundamentals and vocabulary, referenced in definitions and practices for quality assurance.

By following ISO/IEC 29110-7-1:2026, VSEs in the space domain gain a scalable path to process improvement, industry recognition, and higher participation in critical space projects while maintaining cost efficiency and operational effectiveness.

International
Standard
ISO/IEC 29110-7-1
First edition
Systems and software
2026-07
engineering — Life cycle profiles for
very small entities (VSEs) —
Part 7-1:
Space software engineering
guidelines
Ingénierie des systèmes et du logiciel — Profils de cycle de vie
pour très petits organismes (TPO) —
Partie 7-1: Lignes directrices relatives à l'ingénierie logicielle
spatiale
Reference number
© ISO/IEC 2026
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, or required in the context of its implementation, no part of this publication may
be reproduced or utilized otherwise in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, or posting on
the internet or an intranet, without prior written permission. Permission can be requested from either ISO at the address below
or ISO’s member body in the country of the requester.
ISO copyright office
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Phone: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]
Website: www.iso.org
Published in Switzerland
© ISO/IEC 2026 – All rights reserved
ii
Contents Page
Foreword .v
Introduction .vi
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3  Terms and definitions . 1
4 Conventions and abbreviated terms . 4
4.1 Naming, diagramming and definition conventions .4
4.2 Abbreviated terms .6
5 Guideline for the implementation of the processes . 7
5.1 Overview .7
5.2 Concept of space profiles .8
6  Description of the Intermediate space profile . 9
6.1 Overview .9
6.2 Configuration management (CM) process .10
6.2.1 CM process purpose .10
6.2.2 CM process outcomes .10
6.2.3 CM roles involved .10
6.2.4 CM process description .10
6.3 Problem resolution management process . 13
6.3.1 PRM process purpose. 13
6.3.2 PRM process outcomes .14
6.3.3 PRM roles involved .14
6.3.4 PRM Process description .14
6.4 Verification (VE) process .17
6.4.1 VE process purpose .17
6.4.2 VE process outcomes .17
6.4.3 VE roles involved .17
6.4.4 VE process description .17
6.5 Quality assurance process . 20
6.5.1 QA process purpose . 20
6.5.2 QA process outcomes .21
6.5.3 QA roles involved .21
6.5.4 QA process description .21
7  Description of the Advanced space profile .24
7.1 Overview .24
7.2 Requirements elicitation (RE) process. 26
7.2.1 RE process purpose . 26
7.2.2 RE process outcomes . 26
7.2.3 RE roles involved . 26
7.2.4 RE process description . 26
7.3 Safety and dependability assurance (SDA) process .31
7.3.1 SDA process purpose .31
7.3.2 SDA process outcomes .31
7.3.3 SDA roles involved .32
7.3.4 SDA process description .32
8 Role descriptions .35
9 Work product descriptions .36
9.1 States of work products . 36
9.2 Description of work products .37
Annex A (Informative) Supplemental information on safety-related software development.58

© ISO/IEC 2026 – All rights reserved
iii
Bibliography .68

© ISO/IEC 2026 – All rights reserved
iv
Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) and IEC (the International Electrotechnical
Commission) form the specialized system for worldwide standardization. National bodies that are
members of ISO or IEC participate in the development of International Standards through technical
committees established by the respective organization to deal with particular fields of technical activity.
ISO and IEC technical committees collaborate in fields of mutual interest. Other international organizations,
governmental and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO and IEC, also take part in the work.
The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are described
in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular, the different approval criteria needed for the different types
of document should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the editorial rules of the ISO/
IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www.iso.org/directives or www.iec.ch/members_experts/refdocs).
ISO and IEC draw attention to the possibility that the implementation of this document may involve the
use of (a) patent(s). ISO and IEC take no position concerning the evidence, validity or applicability of any
claimed patent rights in respect thereof. As of the date of publication of this document, ISO and IEC had not
received notice of (a) patent(s) which may be required to implement this document. However, implementers
are cautioned that this may not represent the latest information, which may be obtained from the patent
database available at www.iso.org/patents and https://patents.iec.ch. ISO and IEC shall not be held
responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
Any trade name used in this document is information given for the convenience of users and does not
constitute an endorsement.
For an explanation of the voluntary nature of standards, the meaning of ISO specific terms and expressions
related to conformity assessment, as well as information about ISO's adherence to the World Trade
Organization (WTO) principles in the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) see www.iso.org/iso/foreword.html.
In the IEC, see www.iec.ch/understanding-standards.
This document was prepared by Joint Technical Committee ISO/IEC JTC 1, Information technology,
Subcommittee SC 7, Software and systems engineering.
A list of all parts in the ISO/IEC 29110 series can be found on the ISO and IEC websites.
Any feedback or questions on this document should be directed to the user’s national standards
body. A complete listing of these bodies can be found at www.iso.org/members.html and
www.iec.ch/national-committees.

© ISO/IEC 2026 – All rights reserved
v
Introduction
0.1  Introduction to the ISO/IEC 29110 series
Very small entities (VSEs) around the world are creating valuable products and services. For the purpose
of the ISO/IEC 29110 series, a VSE is an enterprise, organization (e.g. government agency, non-profit
organization), department or project having up to 25 people. Many VSEs develop and/or maintain systems
and software components used in those systems, either as independent products or incorporated in the
larger systems. Due to this a recognition of VSEs as suppliers of high-quality products is required.
According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) SME and
Entrepreneurship Outlook report (2019) “Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and entrepreneurship
are essential drivers of economic and social well-being. Representing 99 % of all businesses, generating
about 60 % of employment and totalling between 50 % and 60 % of value added in the OECD area. Almost
one person out of three is employed in a micro firm with less than 10 employees”. The challenge facing
OECD governments is to provide a business environment that supports the competitiveness of this large
heterogeneous business population and that promotes a vibrant entrepreneurial culture.
From studies and surveys conducted, it is clear that the majority of International Standards do not address
the needs of VSEs. Implementation of and conformance with these standards is difficult, if not impossible.
Consequently, VSEs have no, or very limited, ways to be recognized as entities that produce quality systems/
system elements including software in their domain. Therefore, VSEs are excluded from some economic
activities.
It has been found that VSEs find it difficult to relate International Standards to their business needs and
to justify the effort required to apply standards to their business practices. Most VSEs can neither afford
the resources, in terms of number of employees, expertise, budget and time, nor do they see a net benefit in
establishing over-complex systems or software life cycle processes. To address some of these difficulties,
a set of guidelines has been developed based on a set of VSE characteristics. The guidelines are based on
subsets of appropriate standards processes, activities, tasks, and outcomes, referred to as Profiles. The
purpose of a profile is to define a subset of International Standards relevant to the VSEs' context; for example,
processes, activities, tasks, and outcomes of ISO/IEC/IEEE 12207 for software; and processes, activities,
tasks, and outcomes of ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288 for systems; and information products (documentation) of
ISO/IEC/IEEE 15289 for software and systems.
VSEs can achieve recognition through implementing a profile and by being audited against ISO/IEC 29110
specifications.
The ISO/IEC 29110 series can be applied at any phase of system or software development within a life
cycle. The ISO/IEC 29110 series is intended to be used by VSEs that do not have experience or expertise in
adapting/tailoring ISO/IEC/IEEE 12207 or ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288 standards to the needs of a specific project.
VSEs that have expertise in adapting/tailoring ISO/IEC/IEEE 12207 or ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288 are encouraged
to use those standards instead of the ISO/IEC 29110 series.
The ISO/IEC 29110 series is intended to be used with any life cycle, such as waterfall, iterative, incremental,
evolutionary or agile.
Systems, in the context of the ISO/IEC 29110 series, are typically composed of hardware and software
components.
The ISO/IEC 29110 series, targeted by audience, has been developed to improve system or software and/
or service quality, and process performance. Figure 1 describes the ISO/IEC 29110 series and positions the
parts within the framework of reference.

© ISO/IEC 2026 – All rights reserved
vi
Figure 1 — ISO/IEC 29110 series
If a new profile is needed, ISO/IEC 29110-4 or ISO/IEC 29110-6 and or ISO/IEC 29110-7, ISO/IEC 29110-5 can
be developed with minimal impact to existing documents.
ISO/IEC 29110-1-1 introduces processes, life cycle and standardization concepts, the taxonomy (catalogue) of
ISO/IEC 29110 profiles and the ISO/IEC 29110 series. ISO/IEC 29110-1-1 also introduces the characteristics
and needs of a VSE, and clarifies the rationale for specific profiles, documents, standards and guidelines.
ISO/IEC 29110-1-2 defines the terms common to the ISO/IEC 29110 series.
ISO/IEC 29110-2 introduces the concepts for systems and software engineering profiles for VSEs. It
establishes the logic behind the definition and application of profiles. For standardized profiles, it specifies
the elements common to all profiles (structure, requirements, conformance, assessment). For domain-
specific profiles (profiles that are not standardized and developed outside of the ISO process), it provides
general guidance adapted from the definition of standardized profiles.
ISO/IEC 29110-3 defines certification schemes, assessment guidelines and compliance requirements for
process capability assessment, conformity assessments, and self-assessments for process improvements.
ISO/IEC 29110-3 also contains information that can be useful to developers of certification and assessment
methods and developers of certification and assessment tools. ISO/IEC 29110-3 is addressed to people
who have direct involvement with the assessment process, for example, the auditor, certification and

© ISO/IEC 2026 – All rights reserved
vii
accreditation bodies and the sponsor of the audit, who need guidance on ensuring that the requirements for
performing an audit have been met.
ISO/IEC 29110-4 provides the specifications for all generic profiles of the generic profile group that are
based on subsets of appropriate standards elements.
ISO/IEC 29110-5 provides a management, engineering and service delivery guidelines for profiles of the
generic profile group.
ISO/IEC 29110-6 provides the specifications for specific profiles that are based on subsets of appropriate
standards elements.
ISO/IEC 29110-7 provides a guideline for each profile of the specific profile group.
0.2  Introduction to this document
Industry and large organisations recognize the value of VSEs, i.e. enterprises, organisations (e.g. government
agency, non-profit organisation), projects or departments with up to 25 people, in contributing with
emerging new technology that bigger organisations cannot use them as easily nor incorporate them in their
solutions as fast.
But often these VSEs are not ready to comply with the stringent requirements for space projects. The purpose
of this document is to ultimately achieve the process capacity to participate in the development of critical
software in the space domain. But not all software in the space domain can be addressed. For example, for
software embedded in products that can be fatal to human life, additional safeguards will be required.
VSE in space domain can demonstrate the quality in their processes in a stepwise approach to eventually
participate in space projects in a faster and feasible way.
The mainstream of space projects so far has been large rockets and artificial satellites developed by
government agencies and large organizations. Inevitably, the development process applied in space projects
was rigorous and extensive. In recent years, these traditional space development trends have changed.
Development of small artificial satellites and system development, in which multiple small artificial satellites
called “satellite constellation” are linked and collaborate, is being actively considered by small companies
from around the world.
Many start-ups have entered the development of these small space systems and are enlivening the industry.
In short, many VSEs are entering the space industry. However, in many cases, these VSEs are not ready to
comply with the development requirements of space projects. These challenges involve discipline and more
rigorous processes than for non-critical systems. Although the processes involved in software engineering
are extremely important in the space sector, there are not many space-related standards focused on VSE.
In many cases, VSEs refer to space agency standards and implement processes that are not appropriate for
their scale and risk.
VSEs in the space domain, i.e. space-VSEs, can demonstrate the quality of software processes expected by
the space domain in the risk-based approach to participate in space projects.
This document provides management and engineering guidelines for the specific space profiles.
This document presents an Intermediate space profile (Clause 6) and an Advanced space profile (Clause 7).
To use this document, it is presupposed that the VSE has already implemented the software Basic profile
guidelines (i.e. ISO/IEC 29110-5-1-2). The correspondence between the four-stage roadmap of the generic
profile guidelines and the space profile guidelines is shown in Table 1.

© ISO/IEC 2026 – All rights reserved
viii
Table 1 — Correspondence between ISO/IEC 29110 guidelines
ISO/IEC 29110-5-1 ISO/IEC 29110-7-1
VSE generic profiles Title of profile Title of profile
guidelines
ISO/IEC 29110-5-1-1 Entry profile Not applicable
ISO/IEC 29110-5-1-2 Basic profile Basic profile
ISO/IEC 29110-5-1-3 Intermediate profile Intermediate space profile
ISO/IEC 29110-5-1-4 Advanced profile Advanced space profile
The processes in this document are contained in Clauses 6, 7, 8 and 9. It is recognised that specific projects or
organizations may not need to use all the processes provided by this document. Therefore, implementation
of this document typically involves selecting a set of processes suitable to the organization or project and
will so be reflected in the project plan of each project.
Using this document, a VSE can obtain the following benefits:
Basic profile:
— the Basic profile is the starting point for space-VSE. This profile is identical to that in ISO/IEC 29110-5-1-
2; it is not included in this document;
— refer to ISO/IEC 29110-5-1-2 for the benefits of the Basic profile.
Intermediate space profile:
— an agreed set of project requirements and expected work products is delivered to the customers;
— a disciplined management process that provides project visibility and corrective actions of project
problems and deviations is performed;
— managing and controlling project work products;
— ensuring that project problems are identified and resolved;
— ensuring that work products and processes are aligned with the project discipline.
Advanced space profile:
— ensuring that safety and/or dependability concepts and related requirements are obtained;
— a safety and dependability related process that achieve safety and dependability requirements of product
is performed;
— strengthening non-testing verification activities.
The users of this document select the processes to be deployed and map them onto the specific project life
cycle model. The parties are also responsible for selecting and applying the software development methods
and for performing the activities and tasks suitable for the software project.

© ISO/IEC 2026 – All rights reserved
ix
International Standard ISO/IEC 29110-7-1:2026(en)
Systems and software engineering — Life cycle profiles for
very small entities (VSEs) —
Part 7-1:
Space software engineering guidelines
1 Scope
This document provides guidelines for the implementation of the specific space profiles for VSEs through a
set of development processes.
This document is applicable to small suppliers, developers, managers and quality assurance managers of
software products in the space domain.
The document can also be applied by a single party through a self-imposed set of processes.
This document does not prescribe a specific system or software life cycle model, development methodology,
model or technique.
2 Normative references
There are no normative references in this document.
3  Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminology databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at https:// www .iso .org/ obp
— IEC Electropedia: available at https:// www .electropedia .org/
3.1
Advanced profile
profile (3.12) targeted at VSEs which want to sustain and grow as an independent competitive system and/
or software (3.19) development business
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 29110-2-1:2015, 4.3]
3.2
Advanced space profile
profile (3.12) that provides safety and dependability (3.8) related processes to achieve safety-related
requirements of software (3.19)
3.3
agreement
mutual acknowledgement of terms and conditions under which a working relationship is conducted
EXAMPLE Contract, memorandum of agreement.
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC/IEEE 12207:2017, 3.1.5]

© ISO/IEC 2026 – All rights reserved
3.4
baseline
formally approved version of a configuration item, regardless of media, formally designated and fixed at a
specific time during the configuration item’s life cycle
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC/IEEE 12207:2017, 3.1.11]
3.5
Basic profile
profile (3.12) targeted at VSEs developing a single product by a single work team
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 29110-1-2:2015, 4.11]
3.6
conditional task
task that can be mandatory under some specified condition(s), can be optional under other specified
conditions, and can be out of scope or not applicable under other specified conditions
Note 1 to entry: These shall be observed if the specified condition(s) apply.
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 29110-1-2:2024, 3.28]
3.7
defect
imperfection or deficiency in a work product where that work product does not meet its requirements or
specifications and needs to be either repaired or replaced
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 23531:2020, 3.1]
3.8
dependability
ability of a system to perform as and when required
Note 1 to entry: Dependability includes availability, reliability (3.16), resilience, maintainability, and in some cases,
other characteristics such as durability, safety and security. Dependability is used as a collective term for the time-
related quality characteristics of an item.
[SOURCE: IEEE 7000:2021, modified — Note 1 to entry has been added.]
3.9
generic profile group
profile (3.12) group applicable to VSEs (very small entities) that do not develop critical systems or critical
software (3.19) and have typical situational factors
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 29110-1-2:2024, 3.45]
3.10
integration test
progressive linking and testing of programs or modules in order to ensure their proper functioning in the
complete system
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC/IEEE 24765:2017, 3.2033]
3.11
Intermediate space profile
profile (3.12) that provides disciplined management processes for project (3.13) visibility and corrective
actions to the project problems
Note 1 to entry: Technical support processes are being strengthened to meet the high-quality and reliability (3.16)
demands of the space domain.
© ISO/IEC 2026 – All rights reserved
3.12
profile
subset of appropriate standards’ processes and their outcomes, activities and tasks combined to accomplish
a particular function
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 29110-1-2:2024, 3.70]
3.13
project
endeavour with defined start and finish dates undertaken to create a product or service in accordance with
specified resources and requirements
Note 1 to entry: A project is sometimes viewed as a unique process comprising coordinated and controlled activities
and composed of activities from the technical management processes and technical processes defined in this
document.
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC/IEEE 12207:2017, 3.1.37]
3.14
quality assurance
part of quality management focused on providing confidence that quality requirements will be fulfilled
[SOURCE: ISO 9000:2015, 3.3.6]
3.15
regression testing
testing performed following modifications to a test item or to its operational environment, to identify
whether failures in unmodified parts of the test item occur
Note 1 to entry: Regression testing differs from retesting in that it does not test that the modification works correctly,
but that other parts of the system have not been accidentally affected by the change.
Note 2 to entry: The adequacy of a set of regression test cases depends on the item under test and on the modifications
to that item or its operational environment.
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC/IEEE 29119-1:2022, 3.64]
3.16
reliability
capability of a product to perform specified functions under specified conditions for a specified period of
time without interruptions and failures
Note 1 to entry: Wear does not occur in software (3.19). Limitations in reliability are due to results from faults in
requirements, design and implementation, or from contextual changes.
Note 2 to entry: Dependability (3.8) is often used as a synonym for reliability. However, dependability has a larger
scope in that it includes security, performance efficiency, and continuing support and others in addition to the
subcharacteristics of reliability.
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC/IEEE 24765:2017, 3.3387, definition 2, modified — "degree to which a system, product or
component performs" has been changed to "capability of a product to perform"; "without interruptions and
failures" has been added; the original note 1 to entry has been replaced by two new notes to entry.]
3.17
risk reduction measure
measure to reduce or mitigate risk
Note 1 to entry: A typical risk reduction measure is a safety-related system in the IEC 61508 series.
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC/IEEE 15026-1:2019, 3.3.9]

© ISO/IEC 2026 – All rights reserved
3.18
safety-critical software
software whose failure or malfunction can result in death or serious injury to people, loss of or severe
damage to equipment or property, or damage to the natural environment
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 29110-5-1-2:2025, 3.27]
3.19
software
computer programs, procedures, and possibly associated documentation and data pertaining to the
operation of a computer system
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC/IEEE 24765:2017, 3.3783, definition 1]
3.20
space-VSE
enterprise, organization (e.g. government agency, non-profit organization), department or project (3.13)
having up to 25 people that develops or maintains systems and/or software (3.19) in the space domain
3.21
stakeholder
individual or organization having a right, share, claim, or interest in a system or in its possession of
characteristics that meet their needs and expectations
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC/IEEE 12207:2017, 3.1.59, modified — EXAMPLE and note 1 to entry have been removed.]
3.22
validation
confirmation, through the provision of objective evidence, that the requirements for a specific intended use
or application have been fulfilled
Note 1 to entry: A system is able to accomplish its intended use, goals and objectives (i.e., meet stakeholder (3.21)
requirements) in the intended operational environment. The right system was built.
Note 2 to entry: In a life cycle context, validation involves the set of activities for gaining confidence that a system is
able to accomplish its intended use, goals and objectives in an environment like the operational environment.
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC/IEEE 12207:2017, 3.1.71]
3.23
verification
confirmation, through the provision of objective evidence, that specified requirements have been fulfilled
Note 1 to entry: Verification is a set of activities that compares a system or system element against the required
characteristics. This includes, but is not limited to specified requirements, design, descriptions, and the system itself.
The system was built right.
[SOURCE: ISO 9000:2015, 3.8.12, modified — Notes 1 to 3 to entry have been replaced by a new note 1 to
entry.]
4 Conventions and abbreviated terms
4.1  Naming, diagramming and definition conventions
The following process structure description and notation are used to describe the processes.
Process name – process identifier, followed by its abbreviation in parenthesis “( )”.
Process purpose – General goals and results expected of the effective implementation of the process. The
implementation of the process should provide tangible benefits to the stakeholders. The purpose is identified
by the abbreviation of the process name.

© ISO/IEC 2026 – All rights reserved
Process outcomes – Observable result of the successful achievement of the process purpose. Outcomes are
identified by the abbreviation of the process name, followed by the letter “O” and a consecutive number, for
example PM.O1, SI.O2.
Input work products – Work products which can be used to perform the process and its corresponding
source, which can be another process or an external entity to the project, such as the customer. They are
identified by the abbreviation of the process name and showed as two column table of work product names
and sources.
Output work products – Work products generated by the process and its corresponding destination, which
can be another process or an external entity to the project, such as customer. Identified by the abbreviation
of the process name and showed as two column table of work product names and destinations.
Internal work products – Work products generated and consumed by the process. An internal work product
is not reviewed or approved by the customer. Identified by the abbreviation of the process name and showed
as one column table of the work product names.
All work products’ names are initiate with capital letters. Some work products have one or more statuses
attached to the work product name surrounded by square brackets “[ ]” and separated by ”,”. The work
product state may change during the process execution. See Clause 9 for the alphabetical list of the work
products, its descriptions, possible states and the source of the work product. The source can be another
process or an external entity to the project, such as the customer.
Roles involved – Names and abbreviation of the functions to be performed by project team members. Several
roles may be played by a single person and one role may be assumed by several persons. Roles are assigned to
project participants based on the characteristics of the project. The role list is identified by the abbreviation
of the process name and showed as two column table. See Clause 8 for the alphabetical list of the roles and
required competencies description.
Diagram – Graphical representation of the processes. The large round-edged rectangles indicate process
or activities, and the smaller square-edged rectangles indicate the work products. The directional or
bidirectional thick arrows indicate the major flow of information between processes or activities. The thin
directional or bidirectional arrows indicate the input or output work products. The thick dashed rectangle
indicates the process group, for example, the engineering process group.
The notation used in the diagrams does not imply the use of any specific process life cycle.
Activity – A set of cohesive tasks. The task statements in this document are not imperative. A process activity
is the first level of process workflow decomposition and the second one is a task. Activities are identified by
process name abbreviation followed by consecutive number and the activity name.
Activity description – Each activity description is identified by the activity name and the list of related
objectives surrounded by parenthesis “( )”. For example, PM.01 project planning (PM.O1, PM.O5, PM.O6,
PM.O7) means that the activity PM.01 project planning contributes to the achievement of the listed
objectives: PM.O1, PM.O5, PM.O6 and PM.O7.
Task description – Each task description begins with an active verb (e.g. assign, test) and is followed by
an object (e.g. review the project plan). To facilitate their implementation, a few tasks are broken down in
elementary tasks. The task description doesn’t impose any technique or method to perform it. The selection
of the techniques or methods is left to the VSE or project team.
Task description tables contain four columns corresponding to:
— Role – the abbreviation of roles involved in the task execution.
— Task – description of the task to be performed. Each task is identified by activity ID and consecutive
number, for example PM.01.01, PM.01.02.
— Input work products – work products needed to execute a task.
— Output work products – work products created or modified by the execution of a task.

© ISO/IEC 2026 – All rights reserved
NOTE 1 A conditional task is executed if its associated work product (e.g. software user documentation) is required
by the customer and listed in the delivery instructions. The conditional task statement is followed with this text:
"Conditional task".
Incorporation to project repository – list of work products to be saved in project repository; the version
control strategy should be applied to some of them. A few work products (e.g. requirements) are baselined, a
change to a baselined work product can be done through an approved change request.
NOTE 2 Tables used in process description are for presentation purpose only.
NOTE 3 The titles of the profiles (e.g. Entry, Basic, Intermediate, Advanced) are written with a capital letter to
eliminate ambiguities (e.g. ‘Basic profile’ to indicate an ISO/IEC 29110 profile, while the term ‘basic’ is used when
referring to the most important part of something (e.g. basic principles).
NOTE 4 A work product is baselined when it has been approved and uploaded in the repository.
4.2 Abbreviated terms
AM acquisition management
AN analyst
BM business management
CFM configuration manager
CM configuration management
CUS customer
DES designer
ECSS European cooperation for space standardization
PM project management
PJM project manager
PR programmer
PRM problem resolution management
QA quality assurance
QM quality manager
RE requirements elicitation
SDA safety and dependability assurance
SDM Safety and dependability manager
SI software implementation
STD software transition and disposal
TL technical leader
VE verification
VSE very small entity
© ISO/IEC 2026 – All rights reserved
WP work product
WT work team
5 Guideline for the implementation of the processes
5.1 Overview
This document provides project management, software implementation, configuration management,
problem resolution management, quality assurance, requirements elicitation, safety and dependability
assurance and verification processes which integrate practices mainly based on ISO/IEC 29110-4-1,
ISO/IEC/IEEE 12207, ISO/IEC TS 33061 and ISO/IEC TS 15504-10.
This clause contains the process structure of space-VSE, maturity concept and precautions of a three-stage
approach.
The process structure of this document is shown in Figure 2. Requirements elicitation in the technical
processes, configuration management, problem resolution management, quality assurance, verification, and
safety and dependability assurance in the technical management processes are included in this document.

a
ISO/IEC 29110-5-1-2
Figure 2 — Space profile processes of the development process category
The technical processes are used to produce a specified software product. Those processes transform
specified functional, performance, interfaces and implementation constraints and requirements into
a software product that satisfies the requirements derived from the system or upper-level customer
requirements.
The technical processes have several software-specific lower-level processes:
— requirements elicitation process;
— software implementation process of ISO/IEC 29110-5-1-2.
The technical management processes provide project planning and control and a specific focused set of
activities for performing a specialized software process. The technical management processes assist the
technical processes as an integral part with a distinct purpose, contributing to the success and quality of the
software project. There are six processes:
— project management process of the ISO/IEC 29110-5-1-2;
— configuration management process;
— problem resolution management process;

© ISO/IEC 2026 – All rights reserved
— quality assurance process;
— verification process;
— safety and dependability assurance process.
Clauses 6 and 7 contain the purpose, input work products, output work products, internal work products
and roles involved for the space profile and the process description for each of these processes.
This document is not intended to preclude the use of different life cycles such as waterfall, iterative,
incremental, evolutionary or agile. For example, ISO/IEC 29110-5-4 proposes applying VSE to agile
development by integrating VSE tasks into events of Scrum method.
5.2  Concept of space profiles
To use the space-VSE guidelines, it is presupposed that the VSE has already applied the software Basic
profile guidelines (i.e. ISO/IEC 29110-5-1-2). The following profiles are defined for the space-VSEs three-
stage roadmap that develop software:
— Basic profile: This profile is a gateway profile to enter the space domain. This profile refers to
ISO/IEC 29110-5-1-2. In other words, a VSE that implements the software Basic profile can stand at the
entrance of the space domain.
— Intermediate space profile: This profile presupposes space domain projects with no safety-critical
and/or dependability requirements. Three technical management processes have been added to the
ISO/IEC 29110-5-1-2 to achieve the quality and reliability required in the space domain.
— Advanced space profile: This profile presupposes space domain projects where safety and/or
dependability concerns need to be addressed. However, it is not suitable for projects that require a high
cl
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